Tilting barge



K. ZICKEROW ET AL TILTING BARGE Filed Nov. 15, 1929 I May 6, 1930,

7a l"- L Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KARL ZICKEROW, or LUBECK, AND com: wannarz, on A]: scnwAn'rnU, NEAR U CK, G RMANY, ASSIGR R L O U CK MASCHINENBAU1GESELL$QHM1 9 LUBEQK, GERMANY TILTING Barton Application filed November 15, 1929, Serial No. 407,521, and in Germany December 24, 1928,

1 the purpose of causing the barge or skute to heel over or tilt, the said railings or breastwalls will be automatically unlocked, when the barge or skute occupies a certain predetermined inclined or heeled position in the water.

With this object in View the locking means may, for example, be operated, for the unlocking purpose, by the action of gravity inherent to or produced by the heeled-over position of the vessel, and in such a case the locking means may be suitably connected with pendulum-weight which will normally hold the railing or breast-wall in locked position, but allow the same to turn out and down when as the vessel occupies the said inclined or heeled position. In a modified form and arrange ment the locking means is positively connected, either immediately or with the aid of suitable intermediate means, with the sea-valve 55 or with any operating part of the sea-valve so that the normally locked parts will be unlocked only when the sea-valve is partially or totally open and the vessel already occupies a predetermined inclined or heeled posi- :;.s tion in the water.

In the former case where the locking means are operated by gravity or a pendulumweight, a separate device may be provided for looking or securing the gravity-operated locking means against accidental disengagement and such a safety device may be positively connected with the sea-valve or with any operating part of the sea-valve so as tobe actuated by the latter.

The sea-valves are preferably arranged so as to be operable immediately by hand or at a distance, that is from the steam-tug, by

means of any appropriate connections.

Accordingly, our invention possesses the advantage of rendering any manual attend sea-valve or valves.

ance or control of the movable railings or 'breast wallsunnecessary, while the provision of the said safety device does not permit of unloading the vessel except upon opening the Moreover there is another marked advantage inherent to our invention and which-residesin-the fact that by controlling the sea-valve or valves from the steam-lug and automatically unlocking the starlings or breast-walls, the unloading or discharging operation will be accomplished in anunobjectionable manner and without the necessity of hands on board the barges or skutes, since the post of duty ofthe crew or hands is exclusively on board the steam-tug.

"Weshallnow proceedto describe our inven- :tion more in detail in connection with theembodiment thereof illustrated somewhat diagrammatically on the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the invention is illustratedby, but not'limited to the embodiment thereof soillustrated and described.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and showing for purposes of exemplification, apreferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodiedand practised Figure 1 isaviewin elevation of the loaded barge or skute provided with locking means'i'or the tiltable railings or breast-walls,

the latterbeing shown in locked position and the vesselfloating in horizontalpositiomFigure;2 is a similar view with-the water-tank ,on one side fi1led,:the breast-wall on the same side-unlocked and tilted over and thevessel in heeled over position withthe load discharging. With reference to the drawings, the barge or-vessel a is of the .lowry type and shaped to form-a closedbox-like rectangular hollow body with a compartment 7) on either side adapted to be filled with water through anopening contro'lledby a valve 0,1116 'socalled sea-valve. On the flush-deck d railingsorbreast-walls e are provided-and adapted to be tilted or turned out'and down as usually intransporting vesselsof thistype. The

compartments 6 serve the heeling purpose sinceit is customary to-unload or discharge vessels of this type by allowing the load to glide oil "from the deck aiter thevessel has been caused, by filling a compartment with water, to occupy an inclined or heeled over position in the water, as shown in Figure 2. To this end the valve or valves on thercorresponding side are to be opened, while the railing or breast-wall on the same still held in upright and locked position.

The means employed for holding the railings or breast-walls in upright position are two-armed 'hooks'h pivotally mounted at f and adapted to engage over the top edge of the railin s or breast-wall, as shown in Figure 1. Tie lower arm or tail of the hook it is equipped with-a pendulunrweight g which normally holds the hook in engaging position, but which when the vessel occupies the inclined position for the unloading purpose, as shown in Figure 2, will cause the hook to release the railing or breast-wall 6 so that the latter turns outboard and drops into the position shown in Figure 2 and allows the load to glide off thedeck.

The hooks 7 may be secured in position and prevented from disengaging from the railing or breast-Wall, by a particular looking or safety means such as a bolt 2', so that the railing or breast-wall cannot turn and drop out board accidentally or when the vessel is rolling at sea, and means which in themselves are of known construction and arrangement, may be provided for interconnecting the safety or locking means, such as the bolt 2', with the seavalve so that the former will be controlled by the latter.

Though we have described with great particularity of detail one practical construction of our present improvements yet it will be apparent that the device is susceptible of embodiment in various alternative forms, and we therefore reserve the right and privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What we claim is 1. A tilting barge or skute, comprising a closed water tank or tanks for heeling over purposes, side railings or breast-walls pivot- ;-ally attached to the deck so as to becapable of turning out and down, means for securing or looking the said railmgs or breast-walls 1n upright position, a valve-controlled opening in the said tank or tanks, and means for automatically disengaging the said locking means upon the opening of the said valve.

2. A tilting barge or skute, comprising a closed water tank or tanks for heeling over purposes, side railings or breast-walls pivotally connected to the deck so as to be capable of turning out anddown, two-armed hooks pivotally disposed so as to lock the said railings or breast-walls in upright position, a valve-controlled opening in the said tank or tanks, and a pendulum-weight attached to the said hook and adjusted to unlock the said hooks upon the opening of the said valve.

3. A tilting barge or skute of the char acter set forth in claim 1, wherein the said locking means, such as a weight-loaded pivotal hook, is positively connected with the valve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. v

4. A tilting barge or skute of the character set forth in claim 1, wherein asafety device such as a bolt, is provided for holding the locking means in normal or engaging position, the said device being connected with the valve so as to be controlled by the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A tilting barge or skute of the character set forth in claim 1, wherein means are provided for controlling the valves of the water tanks or compartments from the steam-tug.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

KARL ZICKEROVV. CURT VVARNATZ. 

